Rep. Frederica Wilson Introduces Resolution Honoring Trayvon Martin

WASHINGTON – A Florida congresswoman on Tuesday introduced a resolution honoring Trayvon Martin, the Florida teen whose slaying a year ago this month stirred national controversy.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, a South Florida Democrat, introduced a resolution “honoring the life of Trayvon Martin, urging the repeal of Stand Your Ground laws, and calling on the United States government to address the crisis of racial profiling,” according to a statement from her office.

“Today, Trayvon Martin would have celebrated his 18th birthday,” the statement read. “We all know the tragic circumstances surrounding his murder: Trayvon was racially profiled, chased, made to fight for his life, and ultimately murdered. Yet we as a nation have yet to take substantive action to stop such a heartbreaking incident from happening again. Enough is enough: We as a nation have buried too many young black boys. Let’s set Congress on course to address the underlying causes behind the crisis that Trayvon’s death symbolizes. Let’s take action to stop racial profiling and give our people a chance to succeed.”

George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer charged with second degree murder in the case, has pleaded not guilty, and is claiming self-defense. The defense disputes the idea that Zimmerman profiled Martin, who Zimmerman shot to death on the night of February 26, 2012, after a confrontation inside the gated community where Zimmerman lived, and which Martin was visiting with his father. Zimmerman claims Martin attacked him.